Mixed Bag

In the morning I pre baited my river "bream swim" with about a dozen big balls of groundbait with mixed seed and sweetcorn. The river was still pushing through a bit hard, but the colour was just about perfect.

I returned in the afternoon and half heartedly fished a few other swims before settling down in the baited pitch. Nothing. Not a twitch, so I moved up and down the stretch searching for a bite.

It seemed dead, but this section is not exactly heaving with fish, so not it was not entirely unexpected. 

Oh, the photo above ? Chubby you say ? The chub didn't think so today. 

Back in THE swim and after a short while, a bite ! A nice chub and one who had been gorging on the sweetcorn. 

That's more like it.

As the flow was so quick I used a dropper to get the bait down in the right spot and next cast I was in to a fish that could only be a carp. It fought long and hard and when I netted it I was disappointed to see it was a poor old bugger, ottered and no doubt an escapee from a lake in the recent floods.

More bait introduced, but no further action until dusk, when, as the sky cleared and the mist rolled down into the valley, several fish rolled close in.

A huge full moon rose over the far bank alders throwing out shadows over the flood plain. The tip knocked twice and pulled round, resulting in a smallish bream.

My now it was a bit chilly, I was hungry and there was rugby on TV, so I packed up and headed home.

I'm not going to be breaking any records on the lower river, but it's local, scenic and unfished so ticks alot of boxes for me.

You'll not be surprised to know that I'm going back this evening for another go.

Big Perch

Throughout the 90s and early 2000s I did alot of fishing for big perch.

I had four small waters with two miles of the house that produced fish for me between 2lb 13 oz and a monstrous 4lb 8oz.

They were all really small waters, the biggest being about 1.5 acres and the smallest barely half an acre.

Most of the fish came to decent sized livebaits ( 2 or 3 oz, with perch being best bait ). Plenty on lobs too.

There was one water where dead outfished lives, the only water I've ever experienced this.

One day I'd been fishing lives all morning and for some reason half heartedly tried a dead. Within a short while the float slipped away and a two pounder was in the net.

I finished the day with seven over 2lb, with six to deads and only one to a livebait. This happened again on the next two trips and after that I rarely used lives.

We had dozens of three pounders including a couple from two different rivers.

On my mates little canal like lake we were livebaiting when the float slid away and I was into a clonking fish of 3lb 12oz. Next cast the livebait was hit again and the rod hooped round as what was surely a record breaking perch surged down the lake ( there are no pike in here ). It felt bloody massive and no, I didn't lost it.

It went just over 7lbs. Unfortunately it was a carp. On a perch livebait ! Believe it or not I also had a rudd over 2lb on a sizeable livebait from this water too.

It's been a long while since I had one over 3lb. None of the waters we fished during this time produce fish as big and to be honest I haven't got a clue where to start locally any more.

I am looking though. Ideally a river and ideally not fished by anybody. And while we're at it fish to 4lb plus. We can dream.

Watch this space.

Keeping It Looocal

Forecast was rain and wind, so I sacked off work and went fishing on "The Big Stillwater".

Two pike rods out while I concentrated on the feeder.

I was fishing a deep section, at 35-40 yards I had over twenty five feet of water. Half dozen big feeders of bait and I was fishing. Lazily, I was only winding in when I got a bite.

Couple of small roach at first, then the bream moved in. Decent ones too, averaging around 5lb. I ended up with nine of similar size.

It was ridiculously mild for late October at around 18 degrees and I sat sheltered from the wind in a T shirt. The forecast rain never arrived.

The pike rods remained motionless until I packed up in the afternoon. 

A pleasant lazy day.

Stuff

Been a busy time with the old folks in decline, not nice to see to say the least. No chance of getting on the road in the camper for a while yet.

Nights quickly drawing in now, first frost the other day, ahhhhh shit in a bag and punch it.

I'd forgotten about being cold and how I hate the early darkness. Bollocks.

Anyway.....Nice bit of rain the other day and the local river had a bit of flow. Not a proper flood but it washed away the duckweed at least.

I'd put a bit of bait in the bream spot I fished last winter. I'm interested to see if there's a really big one somewhere. Also, when you bait with a load of mixed seed, the fish root around so much that most of the summer weed and crap gets washed off the bottom, which makes good presentation much easier.

Today I had an hour at dusk to see if there was much about. It was a bit nippy, a nasty easterly wind giving it a wintery feel.

A few trembles on the quiver on the first couple of casts gave me some hope whilst I trickled in some hemp and corn. After half hour or so I got a roachy rattle which morphed into a steady pull and the first river bream of the season was on. It pulled surprisingly well and turned out to be a nice fish of just over 5lb in absolutely immaculate condition.

That'll do for starters.

As is usual here, as soon as you catch one it seems to spook the rest. I gave it half an hour before packing up in the encroaching gloom and walked back towards the twinkling lights of the village.

Social Session

I awoke to a distinctly nippy morning. Heavy dew, mist rising off the river and a cloud free sky.

Time for breakfast, a leisurely five minute walk along the lane to the cafe. Full English ? Small, medium or large sir ? I think you all know the answer to that.

It was as good as it looked.

Back at the van new hook lengths were tied, the tackle bag given a token tidy and I was ready to go. I had another smallish barbel of 4-5 lb in front of the campsite, taking it easy and lazing in the autumn sun, before moving downstream to meet up with Chris.

He had a tiny chub first cast on a large, rock hard boilie and even made me net it. Swing it in man ! 

Just before dusk my upstream rod took off and after a long fight a nice fish of 9lb 9oz was landed. Lovely.

Sorry about the hat.

Not long after that, as we stood chatting, sharing out mutual loathing of Manchester United FC , Chris was away again, which resulted in a cracking, beautifully conditioned fish 10lb 2oz.

We packed in as the temperature dropped and went our separate ways.

Lovely social session and a great way to end the trip.

Lucky again with the weather, good company and with the best four barbel going a total of 44lb 2oz, excellent fishing.

On A Roll

Literally.

I decided on something different and set up the rolling rod for a go at a very nice looking stretch downstream.

It's got terrible road access, poor bank access and a massively annoying herd of bullocks, so unsurprisingly there were no signs that anyone had been fishing recently. 

The rolling meat method is absolutely deadly if you get it right and on only the second cast the forty year old Sportex hooped over as a big barbel surged downstream.

The old rod creaked and groaned and with the braid ( which I'm not at all keen on ) it made every crash and surge feel as if I was near to disaster. It took ages to get in but proved to be a right pig of a fish weighing 11lb 10oz. Fantastic fish and even better to get it on that method.

Back to base for a snack and coffee and then a quick chuck out in front of the campsite where I nabbed a small barbel of around 4lb and then  on to meet Chris, a very knowledgeable local, who took me to a spot he fishes regularly. 

What a beautiful spot and two minutes from his house. Lucky bloke.

When your luck is in its in and ten minutes after mindlessly chucking a boilie and pva bag out the Sportex was in action again and after a long and savage fight Chris netted it.

"Getting on for a double" he said.

It seemed a bit short to make double figures to me, but when he lifted it from the water it seemed to grow in size.

A clonking fish of 12lb 4oz, well chuffed as they say. Or I do.

No other bites were forthcoming but we chewed the fat and made plans for the next day. 

Ooh I love it when you're on a roll.

Still At It

Lots going on at the mo, the olds are not too good, bless 'em. I got a chance to have a few days fishing this week, might be last chance for a while, so I pointed the camper in the direction of the Trent.

Extremely high winds were forecast and they were right. Somewhere along the A1 the toilet vent was ripped off and presumably dumped on some poor unfortunate in  vehicle somewhere behind me.

First time I realised was when I arrived at the river and needed the loo. Oh well, now I know what it's like to have an outdoor bog. On the plus side it gets rid of the stink very quickly. 

Worse things happen at sea.

It peed down this afternoon, but as soon as it relented I got the gear out and mindlessly cast out two rods and huddled under the brolly.

Nobody else about and after an hour or so I heard the baitrunner screaming. Loooooovely. The rod hooped over and something unseen roared off. I had visions of something huge. Well, it wasn't huge but it was a very nice fish.

It turned out to be a very long, but very slim, barbel of 10lb 11oz. Great start.

As soon as it got dark the mitten crabs became a pain and after landing a hefty bream I packed up, keen to feast on cheese and biscuits and listen to 5Live to witness the latest Man Utd humiliation.  

The cheese was fantastic, as was yet another Utd defeat.

So, roof vent destroyed, my old fishing chair also damaged ( its been repaired loads of times and it owes me nothing ), loads of traces ruined by crabs, but a couple of decent fish , some lobworms picked up on the wet lawn on the way back and a damn fine glass of red wine before bed.

A good day. And I'm fishing again tomorrow.  Its a good life much of the time boiiiiiiiiiiiii.